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National Fried Chicken Day!

It’s not often a dish has it’s own national holiday but if there’s one that deserves it, it’s fried chicken. As America’s dish of choice, fried chicken rises above the burger and out-souls the pizza. Whether eaten minutes after frying or as chilled leftovers, fried chicken holds a wistful and enduring draw: it’s ability to comfort. In honor of America’s traditional dish and in celebration of National Fried Chicken Day, we have curated a list of our favorite places in Austin to divulge in this greasy goodness. Without further ado, Austin’s Fried Chicken Must Eats.

Chicken for Speed, Waffles for Strength and that’s just what you’ll get at Lucky J’s. The Ms. M Waffle Taco is a boneless fried chicken strip, bacon, swiss cheese wrapped up in a waffle. It’s the perfect pairing- crisp, savory, tender, creamy, salty, smoky bacon and the fresh-made waffle. Take it up a notch and drizzle on some syrup, honey and sriracha sauce for a spicy kick you won’t regret.

Torchy’s Taco celebrates the birth of our nation the entire month of July with their taco of the month- The American crafted for the most patriotic of palettes. The crispy chicken is perfectly fried in a bed of pineapple cole slaw, chopped bacon, jack cheese, pico de gallo and cilantro. It’s the ideal summer taco with fresh, mouthwatering bursts of flavor. We wouldn’t hate it if it became a permanent resident on the menu.

There is no wrong way to go when ordering from the East Side King menu, everything is absolutely delightful. However, the Thai Chicken Karaage (gluten-free) definitely takes the cake. Prepare your taste buds for deep-fried chicken thighs topped with a sweet-spicy sauce, onion, jalapeno, fresh basil, cilantro and mint for a flavor combination so heavenly only the gods (or Paul Qui) could dream this dish up.

Ms. P knows what she is doing in the trailer kitchen- and that’s fried chicken. Open until midnight on weekends, you can get your late night fried chicken fix with chicken so phenomenal you’ll be dreaming about it later. We can tell you about a particular dish, but it’s all good. Across the board the chicken is finger licking juicy, moist, crispy and flavorful. Electric Cock has most certainly earned the neon CHICKEN sign.

Our founder, Michael Wei, raved about Salty Sow’s Crisp Chicken Thighs for over 15 minutes and though we won’t put you through the details of his fried chicken obsession, know that he said this, “Just glorious. It will be the last thing I eat.” Oh the fried smashed potato and gravy are delicious as well.